Alvarado letter: Citizenship

Civic celebration of citizenship — every week, former immigrants and refugees become citizens of this great republic. What a fantastic accomplishment for everyone — the new citizens, the people who have helped and supported them, and, of course, their family and friends. Yet there is never any public civic celebration. Wouldn’t it be great if as part of First Thursday, the local merchants offered some kind of congratulations to these new citizens? Perhaps a complementary beverage or a meal or whatever would be to the merchants’ liking. We are blessed that these immigrants and refugees have chosen to become long-term stakeholders in our country. That is something worth collectively celebrating.